Bush Radio 89.5 fm is the Mother of Community Radio in Africa. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Bush Radio exists with the sole purpose to uplift, develop and educate the communities it serves. To find out more about Bush Radio go to www.bushradio.co.za, where you can also listen on-line.
Please share your comments on our news: feedback@bushradio.co.za

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

SAFPS says identity theft has decreased by 19% this year

Mbasa Gqokoma

14 July 2015

According to the South African
Fraud Prevention Services identity theft has decreased from 3 873 in 2013
to 2 334 in 2014 and a 19% drop this year.

Executive Director Carol
McLoughlin said through the public awareness people are becoming a lot more
cautious letting their personal information landing in the wrong hands.

McLoughlin said the attempts
we have been making to inform the members of the public is that, the risk of
allowing your identity or personal particulars to be shared with anybody.

People are becoming aware of
how risky that is, so they aren’t as willing to now share information whether it
be online or handing information over the counter.

They are becoming a lot more
vigilant and taking extra precautions to ensure they are getting out
information to reputable people or organisations who are entitled to have that
information.

Meanwhile McLoughlin has also
warned the public to be aware of where they share their personal information
and misleading sms’s of winning money.

Figures show that identity
theft cost the country over R1-million each year.

McLoughlin said, “People do get
wood -winged by doing these types of scams because they get excited about the
idea that they could be getting some money for nothing, so it’s worth the case
of guarding towards falling for these tricks because they try every tricks in
the book to get too excited or get too scared if you don’t click on the lick,
something could happen to your account, it could be frozen or even closed, If
you click on the link you going to get awarded some money.”

She added that “don’t fall for
the scams because they are really trying hard to get hold of your personal information.”